Closure fastener



Nov. 5, 1935. A. M. JOHNSON I 2,020,188

CLOSURE FASTENER Filed March 21, 1934 INVENTOR Arfhyr' M. John 5 m Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice 2 Claims.

This invention relates to closure fasteners and more particularly to a novel hook fastener, applicable to doors and the like.

The principal object of the invention is to pro- ;5; vide a hook fastener which will retain a door, particularly a sliding door, in a tightly closed position, yet will not interfere with the free sliding of the door during the operation of opening and closing the same. Another object is to provide a novel closure fastener as heretofore described, which will also .serve as a rigid'handle to assist in opening and closing a door or the like.

Another object is to provide such a closure fas- 15; tener which, when properly applied to a hangerhung sliding door, will prevent swinging of the closed door by the wind, etc.

Still another object is to provide a novel hook fastener which is prevented from being unhooked 0 by horses, cattle, and the like.

Another object is to provide such a closure fastener which may be applied to two-part upper and lower barn or garage doors, for holding them rigid and the closure fastener against being 25 worked to an inoperative position due to oscillations of the door structure.

Another object is to provide a sturdy closure fastener comprising but five simple parts, easily assembled and renewed and inexpensive to manu- 3q facture;

' Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of 35 this specification and in which drawing:

Figure 1 is afragmentary perspective view of a structure, including a sliding door, to which the novel closure fastener has been applied.

. Figure 2 is an elevation of the closure fastener 40 as viewed from the inner side of the closure.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the closure fastener as viewed from the outside of a closure;

Figures 4 and 5 are views substantially on their respective lines in Figure 2.

45 Figure 6 is a view substantially on the line 6+6 of Figure 5.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of 55 other structures. In the example shown, the

structure A includes a wall I0 having an opening or doorway II, at one side of which and inwardly of the wall is an upright or jamb I2 while outwardly of: the wall and at the opposite edge of the doorway is an upright stop l3 carrying one 5 or more tongues M to retain the forward end of the closure B against swinging. All of the foregoingportions l0 to i i are conventional.

The closure B, in the example shown, is a sliding door l5 for the doorway H, and may be of 10 double thickness as shown in Figure 4. The sliding door 55 is hung, in the example shown, at its upper end upon a door hanger assembly including a horizontal track it projecting outwardly from the wall It] to which it is rigidly secured as by brackets il a short distance above the upper end of the doorway l I. Upon this track rides two or more wheels l8 provided with bracket members is for bearings, the bracket members being attached at their depending portions to the door I5. It is desirable that most sliding doors be so hung that they practically lay against the wall it! of the structure, preventing draft and the ingress of small animals, etc. As a consequence, when the sliding door is slid open (in the example shown,

in Figure 1, towards the right) there is but little if any clearance between the outer face of the wall I6 and the inner face 20 of the door' It.

For the purpose of accommodating the novel closure fastener C, the door I5 is provided adjacent its rearward end 20 with an opening which preferably includes a relatively small round or square aperture l2 extending from the outer face 22 of the door inwardly where it opens into a substantially V-shaped mortise 23, the opening 2| leading into themortise 23 at substantially the apex of the V.

Now'as for the novel closure fastener C, the same preferably includes a hook member 24 comprising a cylindrical rod bent at one end to 40 'forma substantially O-shaped hand grip 25, an

elongate straight portion 26 next thereto and an. elongate bill 21 at substantially a right angle to the straight portion 26. This bill comprises a substantially straight portion 28 forming an L with the elongate straight portion 26. From the end of the portion 28 opposite its connection to the portion 26, the rod is again bent as at 29 forming a substantially L-shaped hook portion in conjunction with the portion 28. It should be noted that the axis of that portion of the rod bent as at 29 does not parallel the axis of the portion 26. The tip or free end 30 of the bill is preferably beveled or sloped as is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 6. It is preferred that the several bends in the rod be rounded, and that the rod be cylindrical but it is possible to employ other shapes for all portions of the rod except the portion 26.

A particularly novel and important part of the closure fastener construction is a plate member 3| having preferably a flat face 32 and a substantially V-shaped recess 33 opening from the face 32 and with the apex of the V extending toward one end of the plate, as shown in Figure 2. Close adjacent the apex of the V-shaped recess is a perforation or aperture 34 in the plate member and opening into the recess. This plate member 3| maybe stamped from a sheet of suitable material so that the base 35 of the recess is substantially flat while the side walls 36 may be normal thereto or slope slightly inwardly towards the base 35 with the edges formed by the walls 36 and the face 32 rounded. It is important that the size and depth of the recess be such that it will accommodate the whole of the L-shaped hook portion mentioned and so that this portion when in the recess will be below the plane of the face 32 as shown in Figure 5. It is also desirable that this portion have sufiicient rotative play so that, as shown in Figure 2 in dotted lines, it may be rotated in one direction a part of a turn until the tip abuts the opposite wall of the V-shaped recess, as clearly shown in Figure 2, because moisture from the air may condense, or rain water and snow or sleet may gather in the recess 33 and freeze, making manipulation of the bill or hook portion 21 diificult or impossible, were it not for this possible play. Manipulation, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, permits ice and snow to be dislodged and the bill to be properly retracted also. The plate member 3| may be provided with suitable perforations to accommodate screws 3'! or similar means to attach the plate member to a support, such as a door. It is preferred that the perforation 34 be of a diameter sufiicient to accommodate the straight portion 26 of the rod, forming a bearing therefor, as shown in Figure 4.

A second bearing for the straight portion 26 ofthe rod may be provided and comprises a suitable bearing plate 38, having a perforation 39 to accommodate the straight portion 26 of the rod, forming a bearing therefor, and perforations 40 to accommodate screws 4| or the like forthe purpose of securing the plate 38 to a suitable sup port.

Encircling the straight portion 26 of the rod is an expansion coil spring 42 or the like and adapted to bear against the hand grip 25 at one extremity, and the bearing plate 38 at its opposite extremity.

An eye member is provided for the bill and may comprise a conventional staple 43.

All portions of the novel closure fastener are preferably of metal such as iron or steel and suitably protected from rusting. Aside from the screws 31 and 4| there are but five parts to the entire assembly.

With the closure B provided as heretofore set out, one example of the way the same may be assembled and applied is as follows:Slipping the bearing plate 38 upon the hook member 24 until it contacts with the spring 42, the hook member is worked thru the aperture 2| which is preferably of a much greater diameter than the diameter of the straight portion 26 of the hook member. The hook member is of course inserted into the opening 2| from the outer face 22 of the closure. Then, upon pressing the hook member inwardly against the tension of the spring, the plate member 3| may be worked along the hook member 24 until it is seated in the mortise 23. If desirable, the plate member 3| may be countersunk as shown in Figure 5. Release of pres- 5 sure upon the hook member 24 will temporarily hold both plate members 3| and 38 in place and then they may be secured, the former to the inner face 20 of the closure and the latter to the outer face 22. In placing the staple 43 or the like, it 10 is very desirable for several reasons that this be so placed that when the closure is in a tightly closed position and against the stop I3 while the bill is snugly within the eye formed by the staple 4'3 and the jamb l2, into which the staple 15 may be, driven, the convolutions of the spring 42 will meet, as clearly shown in Figure 4.

With the novel closure fastener, applied to the closure B, such as a sliding door, at adjacent the rearward end 2|] of the door, as shown in 20 Figure l and with the closure B in the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 4, a turn upon the hand grip to the left will disengage the bill from the eye and a slight further turn to the left, assisted by the coil spring 42 will cause thebill :5 portions 21, 28, 29 and 30 of the hook member to be drawn into the recess 33 as shown in Figure 5 and wholly out of the way. Consequently, when the closure is slid toward the right making use of the hand grip as a means, into an open 30.

position there is no portion of the hook member projecting from the plane of the inner face 20 of the closure. Therefore, there is nothing to catch upon the sides of the doorway nor scrape over the outer face of the wall Ill. Con- 35 versely, when the closure B is slid along the outer face of the wall It toward the left in order to bring it to a closed position against the stop 53 and under the tongues l4, there is no portion of the closure fastener to scrape upon the wall When the parts are in place as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the closure cannot slam nor oscillate at its rearward portion or end, since the spring is tightly compressed, the closure fastener 5 serving as an efficient means to prevent such swinging movements at a point (the rearward portion) where the average sliding closure, such as a sliding barn door, is not generally held against swinging caused by winds and the like. 50

The portion 26 of the hook member 24 may reciprocate and rotate freely and the arrangement of parts, taken in conjunction with their sturdiness and the one-piece construction of the hook, is such that ice and snow will not be apt to prevent the proper functioning of the device.

Various changes may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims. '6

What is claimed is;

1. A combined handle and closure fastener for association with an eye member, comprising bearing means including a plate member having a recess and a perforation opening there- 65 into, a hook member including a handle portion,

a substantially straight portion extending from said handle portion and thru said perforation and a bill portion extending from said straight portion and in a plane substantially parallel with 70 the face of said plate member, said recess adapted to accommodate the whole of said bill portion with the bill portion below the plane of the face of said plate, and an expansible coilspring about said straight portion with one end bear- 1;

ing against said handle portion and the other end bearing against said bearing means, the

length of said spring being such that when the convolutions thereof are in contact with one another, said bill portion will be in a plane substantially coincident with the axis of the eye of said eye member.

2. In a closure fastener, an elongate rod member having a substantially L-shaped bill portion at one end thereof, an arm of said bill portion being'associated with said rod to form substantially a right angle, a plate member having a V- shaped recess therein with the apex of said recess pointed toward an edge of said plate and said plate member also having a perforation opening into said recess adjacent said apex, with said rod member extending through said perforation, said recess being of a size suificient to wholly accommodate said substantially L-shaped bill portion and to allow rotative play of said L-shaped bill portion in one direction a part of a turn until the tip of the 'L-shaped bill portion abuts one Wall of said V-shaped recess and rotative play in the opposite direction until said arm of said bill portion abuts the opposite wall of said recess, with the bill portion below the plane of the face of said plate, and means to urge said bill portion into said recess and to permit rotation and reciprocation of said rod.

ARTHUR M. JOHNSON. 

